Umbrella

I bought a new umbrella recently. The reason I bought it is because it has a loop at the end of the handle that I can stick my arm through, meaning I can hold onto the umbrella while leaving my hands free, solving a problem I have always had trying to take pictures of bugs in the rain. It takes two hands to take the pictures, leaving none to hold the umbrella. But now I can just loop the umbrella handle over my wrist and have both hands for camera work. I am not completely sure that this was a good idea–rainy days are my days off, after all. But there have been enough times when it was raining and I wanted to go out with my camera that I know it had to be a good idea. I don't think it will work very well when it's windy, but when it's calm, it should be okay. The problem right now, of course, is that there aren't a lot of bugs to be found, rainy or not. The days that I don't do a blog are sometimes too cold for bugs (yesterday the temperature never got above freezing), but sometimes on days that are within the bug parameters I just don't find any. Most days lately that have not had a post from me have been days when I found a few things, but they were the same things I see every day, and without at least one thing that is out of the ordinary I am not going to post. You don't need to see a picture of springtails every day.
Anyway, today was only the second time I tried out my new umbrella while taking pictures. The first time I tried was really windy, so that didn't work out. But today was calm. I just didn't see much worth taking a picture of, but the umbrella worked just as I had hoped. No awkward juggling of camera and umbrella, or trying to hold the umbrella between my shoulder and neck, giving myself a crick. And really, this is why I even went out today:

 When I went out to get the mail I noticed that the snowdrop sprout I saw the other day has a bud emerging. I planted snowdrops because they bloom very early in the spring, just when you can't take the barrenness of the winter any longer and desperately need to see something blooming. Now I am wondering exactly how early they will bloom?

Insect-wise? Well, it was like every recent day. I saw bugs flying around–a crane fly landed on the window. There was an ant in the mailbox when I went out to get the mail. I didn't do a complete bug walk, but I saw a LOT of springtails. Every rock on the walkway from the house to the street was covered with them (as was the front porch), and they were exceptionally bouncy. They are fun to watch.

Springtails on a small puddle

Lately I have seen a lot of spiderwebs on plants (and, as you can see from this picture, other things), but no spiders for a few days (except for a glimpse of one I got in the house yesterday). Not full orb webs, but individual strands, the kinds spiders use for getting from one place to another, rather than for catching prey.

Today I found a spider, though, for Arachnid Appreciation:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.